


Chapter Eighteen: Thanks for the Night

by CavalierConvoy



Series: MTMTE Series One: Shoot Straight with a Crooked Gun [19]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers Generation One, Transformers Generation Two, Transformers: Beast Machines, Transformers: Beast Wars
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Haunting, Love/Hate, Other, Quantum Mechanics, Talking To Dead People, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 17:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3456230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CavalierConvoy/pseuds/CavalierConvoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three hundred years from now, Starscream devises a plan to bleed off the quantum generator before it could lose stability, but it would involve scavving the dead for the necessary parts; meanwhile, Pantera attempts to convince a reluctant Primal to locate the metrotitan holding the <i>Lost Light</i> together, and somehow reactivate the spacebridge to jettison the generator -- if not the entire ship -- off of Cybertron. </p><p>Meanwhile, three years ago, Artemis reveals to Skyfire why they need to acquire the Warworld, and not just because of their initial mission.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chapter Eighteen: Thanks for the Night

The fires ignite  
All down the road  
The scene explodes and I say  
It's been alright  
Thanks for the night  
A fine affair  
The narcs are there  
And we don't care 'cause I say  
It's been alright  
Thanks for the night  
—["Thanks for the Night"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3OhiFdB4lA) by The Damned, from the single _Thanks for the Night_

  
Cybertropolis  
Iacon District  
Three Hundred Years from Now, Two Decacycles Ago

"A metrotitan?" Optimus arched a brow as he met Pantera midway to the engine room. The hammer, a two-handed monstrosity held by her left side in one fist, near the head, was likely an Autobot weapon, as opposed to a tool. 

"What else outside of gods can pull a ship out of space and time?" The felinoid Maximal shrugged. Both shoulders pulled equally. 

Optimus was on edge for two more reasons: Pantera, a proud atheist, was invoking gods; and that she was able to lift, let alone wield, the Autobot-sized sledge hammer. "And we're certain the ship didn't jump until after the crew were slaughtered?"

Pantera cocked her head to one side. "You don't have to talk to ghosts to figure that out. Something pulled the ship here. And while Megatron has considerable power over our reserves, he has nowhere near the power it would take to yank a ship of this magnitude out of its place in spacetime. As far as I understood Sky's ramblings, that is."

"But the metrotitans are gone — no one knew what happened to them after the onset of the Great War."

"Save one," Pantera corrected. "Metroplex returned to Iacon. He's hidden himself here. If there's anything a metrotitan is good at, it's hiding in plain sight. He may be dying for all we know, which is what Sky speculates is the reason why this ship is here in the first place." She halted Primal's retort with a raised index finger. "Hear me out: Sky's the only one of us who understands quantum theory, and I'm the one who remembers the time before Maximal and Predacon. Also, it's our only lead to why the _Lost Light_ is here, at this moment in time. Metroplex is our only lead. And you are the only one who can reach him, if he's still alive."

"Those are big 'ifs,' Elder."

"Primal, I don't think you understand what kind of danger we've got here. We need to get the Lost Light off this planet; at the very least, eject or destroy the generator."

"How do you know the name of the ship?" Optimus demanded.

Pantera slammed up her defences. "How did you know I was talking about the ship?"

"The one who bled out," Optimus admitted. "There was enough spark residue to piece together what had happened on board. He was echoing; he couldn't answer direct questions. But I got enough information."

"I found a partial manifest," Pantera lied. "It's home port was Iacon. Definitely one of our ships."

Optimus accepted this. "I'll take a team, then, and hunt down Metroplex. A spark that big — I should have been able to sense him early on."

"Remember, good at hiding. And considering you're in tune with the Oracle, that could give you a heads' up. And honestly? It's possible he's experienced spark collapse already, and his consciousness is only now realising it. I'm banking a lot on faith this time around and I don't like it." Primus, she needed a drink. And being dry for the better part of three centuries, that was an accomplishment.

Turning to leave, Optimus glanced over his shoulder. "Be safe, Elder; come home unharmed."

Primal was intelligent, if anything. She gave him a salute, two fingers to her brow in a casual gesture. "I always plan to. I'll send Rattrap to join you."

Once he left, Pantera swung the hammer to her shoulder, contemplating her next move. Primal was picking up something amiss with her and Skyfire. Although her mission remained the same — survival of the Maximals against Megatron — Primal suspected Starscream. Not vocally. He was trusting her. Or at least attempting to.

_"Risk assessment?"_

"Two mechs, long past their expiration date, for the good of the planet and the people."

_"You're not a cog."_

Another migraine flared, radiating through the shoulder where she had chambered the hammer; she fought it, but her optic twitched. "Doesn't matter; I've lived long enough, and —"

_"It's not just Starscream we're risking, though. Sky's just as much a part in this. And you know as well as I do he wants to live."_

"I know." She sighed. "And what do you mean, 'we'?"

_"You think I'm going to let you do this on your own?"_

She mulled over the comment before responding. "Why would you do that?" she questioned. "I mean, I don't doubt your sincerity, but — "

_"Because we're friends."_

She wanted to correct him, but didn't. This time, she pinpointed the conflict. Regardless of whether or not she had known him in her current state, she had plenty of allies; now, right now, she needed a friend.

 

*

Debris  
In Orbit Around Klo  
Three Stels Ago

The call from Skyfire came, just as she cursed herself for taking one more for the road for the fourth time that night. Whirl had passed out on her shoulder, and in her drunken state, she was deciphering how he could snore without a nasal cavity. "Where's the rendezvous point?" Artemis questioned; she hoped she was not slurring.

_"Exact coordinates will be beamed to me once we reach Cybertron orbit. He requested that you and I approach alone."_

"Of course he did." Sliding out from under Whirl, she eased his head onto the table and, out of habit, patted the back of his head. "Okay, I'll inform Roadbuster and meet you outside in five cycles."

_"Five cycles. I should inform you that he wishes to keep this meeting off the record."_

"Oh, like he's in the position to make demands." Opening comms, she hailed, "Oi, 'Buster! It's showtime!"

_"Got a plan?"_

"Sky and I are going to scout ahead. You don't hear back from us from our mark to three megacycles, up the defences, because likely we got slagged and you'll have a Warworld coming your way. By then the Senate will take our request to up their Space Defence seriously and get their afts in gear."

_"And then we do what we do best."_

"In theory, Space Defence will be your clean up."

_"Rod better appreciate the slag we're going through to get his aft back."_

"You're telling me."

 _"Hey, Art?"_ Roadbuster paused. _"Look, good luck. I mean it. Stay alive."_

"I intend to," she agreed. "I just like to have a Plan B in place." Switching frequencies, she returned to Skyfire. "We're green. The others?"

Skyfire, in bipedal mode, landed in front of her, softening his landing with a quick fire of his jets. "The _Ell-Arr_ will be with the rest of the Wrecker ships. Sandstorm's taken command." He flexed his jaw. "Are you certain you want to do this? I should be the one to try to fix my error."

"It's my responsibility too, Sky. We'll do this together." She took a shaky step, regained her balance, and continued towards him.

Skyfire's concern melted partway to annoyance. "Artemis, we talked about this — "

She placed a fist against his cockpit, nowhere near a punch, but hard enough to make a noise. Head down, her shoulders shook.

"Artemis?"

"It's gone." Her voice was just below a whisper.

Skyfire did not say anything, waited for her to continue her thought.

"They confiscated my weapons — my guns, the Forge...they also got the Matrix."

Skyfire took his friend by the shoulders. "Then we will reclaim it."

"I never thought I'd miss the whispers. Now I can't stand the silence."

"We will succeed, Artemis. I promise you that."

"I sure hope so, Sky, because I feel like I've lost it all."

 

*

 

Cybertropolis  
Iacon District  
Three Hundred Years from Now, Two Decacycles Ago

Returning to the generator room, she was greeted by Skyfire grabbing her shoulders, blue optics wide.

"We've gotta do something fast, 'Tera!" he cried, panicked. "The ship is being held together by a single thought! I found datatracks and the _Lost Light_ should not be here in one piece! It was destroyed by the marauders who attacked the ship, and whoever brought it here pieced it back together, but it's not stable! If the quantum foam ruptures through—" He sank to his knees. "We're fragged. We're so fragged."

"On the plus side," Rattrap cleared his throat, "we can finally take out the Vehicons."

"And us in the process." Pantera knelt in front of the gyrfalcon Maximal, cupping Skyfire's helm with her free hand. "I think you need to take a break." Without breaking optic contact, she then ordered, "Rattrap, meet up with Primal. You're going to help him with finding the metrotitan; if he's still functioning, it's likely his spark's offline, so you're needed to trace certain signatures. I'm going to see if I can get Sky back on task."

"Got it, kitty cat!" Rattrap saluted, wasting no time to get out of the room. After a half-cycle, Pantera returned her attention to the avian Maximal. 

"Tell me that wasn't you getting over the top," she chided.

"No, we are in serious slag," Starscream retorted, his optics shifting to red. "Everything the boy said is true. It doesn't matter; this thing blows, it will take us out, regardless where we run. I even doubt I'd be able to survive the blast."

"So what do we do?" Pantera demanded. "Other than tuck our heads between our knees and kiss our afts goodbye?"

"I love it when you get vulgar," he smirked. "Here's the problem: we kill the power. But by killing the power, we sever whatever is holding the ship in place at this moment. It breaks apart, releasing the quantum foam, which, upon contact with our reality, will alter it, likely destroy it. Kind of like antimatter, except that it will likely create a duplicate of each molecule in matter, creating a 'yes/no' state. A third state." Starscream exhaled. "The boy's right — we're fragged."

"If we are able to get to Metroplex, on the other hand?"

"If we can activate his spacebridge? We may have a chance to jettison the wreckage somewhere, likely a black hole. Which could hold off the damage radius for a few billion stels. By then, who cares? But then, this is only speculation, and I'm getting sloppy at it, since the boy's being hysterical at present."

"'The boy' has a name."

"And I can't waste the energy to deal with that. I'm in conflict right now and don't need to be reminded of it." 

"A yes/no state."

"So few words. Much like how you're been visiting your more brutish nature. It's...troublesome."

"So do you or do you not have a plan?"

"I should point out the futility of asking questions requiring a yes or no answer around a quantum generator...but, yes, I do have a plan: we get the ship operational."

Pantera's lip curled, exposing fang.

"Hear me out before you get your Wrecker up: we get the ship operational, or at least powered up to vent the engine a fraction of a percent of its capacity. The quantum foam would only affect a small radius — say, this ship, maybe the Harbour — instead of the entire planet. Just let it bleed out and dissipate, over time. Best case scenario: the planet remains intact, with the exception of this oddity of warped space." Starscream shrugged, hands in the air. "We'd still be fragged, but likely we'd be in this living dead state to maintain the core. Theoretically."

"What are our other options? I don't like the idea of introducing a reality-bending substance into an already unstable scenario."

"Oho, so now you get worried," Starscream chuckled. "If we can generate some sort of containment field around the engine — energy versus energy — we can purge the generator completely, in one instant; we may have a chance to escape with our sparks."

"'Containment field'?" Pantera cocked her head. "Like a — "

 _"Force field,"_ Pantera's ethereal companion groused. _"And I wonder where we could find one of those...sarcasm, Art; if it's still operational, it might be our only chance."_

"Trailbreaker had a forcefield generator," Pantera suggested, thumbing out to the corridor. "You think we could get that working?"

"If any remaining energon isn't curdled, and if we can get it down here, then by all means, go for it. I doubt even if you had Primal helping, you'd be able to budge it."

"You're an idiot, Starscream," Pantera snapped. "He's in vehicular mode."

Starscream stared up at her, first in horror, then with a scheming glint. "Oh, how morbid, Arty."

"Desperation has no room for scruples, flyboy."

 

NEXT CHAPTER: Gods and Punks


End file.
